Area schools closing ahead of possible winter storm

URGENT UPDATES

Get updates on the weather conditions by texting the word 'news' to 423-706.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND DELAYS

• Athens City Schools will be closed Friday.

• Bachman Academy will be closed Friday.

• Bledsoe County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Bradley County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Catoosa County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Chickamauga City Schools will be closed Friday and the Winterfest event at Chickamauga Elementary School is cancelled and will be rescheduled.

• Chattanooga Charter will be closed Friday.

• Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy will be closed Friday.

• Chattooga County Schools will be on a 3 hour delay Friday.

• Chattanooga Christian School will be closed Friday.

• Cleveland City Schools will be closed Friday.

• Dade County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Dayton City Schools will be closed Friday.

• Etowah City Schools will be closed Friday.

• Hamilton County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Jackson County and Scottsboro schools will be on a 3 hour delay Friday.

• Marion County Schools will be closed Friday.

• McMinn County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Meigs County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Notre Dame will be closed Friday.

• Polk County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Rhea County Schools will be closed Friday.

• Silverdale Baptist Academy will be closed Friday.

• Tennessee Temple University will be closed Friday.

• Whitfield County Schools will be closed Friday.

After a week of sunshine and blue skies, more wintry weather is headed this way.

Meteorologists expect freezing rain to hit the area around 1 a.m. Friday morning with the possibility of up to a quarter of an inch of ice covering roads, trees and power lines by the time morning commuters and school buses hit the roads.

"An ice glaze on surfaces is possible" said David Karnes, the morning meteorologist at WRCB-TV. "There will be potential power outages from fallen trees, as well."

Clouds will be moving in late tonight and temperatures are expected to drop to the upper 20s by late evening.

The main event, ice, is expected to start around rush hour Friday morning and continue through mid afternoon, according to Jessica Winton, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn.

Hamilton County Emergency Services is advising people to stay off the roadways, bridges and other exposed surfaces which are likely to freeze more quickly that other roadways, according to a news release.

Chattanooga's Public Works Department is already out preparing for the poor weather.

"We're currently putting salt brine out on all bridges, higher elevations, and primary arterial roads in and out of the city," said Tony Boyd, assistant director of operations at the works department. Salt and sand vehicles are awaiting further orders at three main outposts around the city in the event that the weather deteriorates further.

The city has also prepped teams with chainsaws and safety equipment in case of power outages and downed trees, Boyd said.

The cold is supposed to clear out quickly, though.

By late Friday evening, the rain should mostly have moved on. High temperatures from Friday evening through Saturday are expected to be in the 30s and 40s.